Separating and counting apparatus



Oct. 22, 1968 E. CORDOVA SEPARATING AND COUNTING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 20, 1967 R O T N E V m EDWARD CORDOVA W M r ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 E. CORDOVA A 3,406,869

SEPARATING AND COUNTING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20, 1967 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

EDWARD CORDOVA M? M r W ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,406,869 SEPARATING AND COUNTING APPARATUS Edward Cordova, Oroville, Calif., assignor of one-fourth to Boyd Sears III, Oroville, Calif. Filed Feb. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 617,125 9 Claims. (Cl. 221-199) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for separating selected objects, such as cherries, from a group thereof submerged in a bath, wherein the device includes a rotating disc with apertures about its edge adapted to pass throughthe bath as the disc rotates, and wherein means are included to circulate the liquid through the submerged apertures to urge and seat the selected objects in the apertures, and wherein the seated objects are then carried from the bath by the rotating disc so that they can be removed from the apertures.

Background of the invention This invention relates to apparatus for separating selected objects from a group thereof, and more particularly to an apparatus which seats selected objects in apertures in a transporting element while the apertures and objects are submerged in a liquid bath, the transporting element then carrying the objects from the bath.

Devices which separate a selected number of objects from a group are, of course, quite useful, a typical application being the automatic separation of a selected number of pieces of fruit (i.e., cherries or the like) from a large group. With such a device, it could be insured, for example, that the minimum number of cherries, as required by law, are set aside for a can of fruit cocktail.

Description of the prior art In the patent to Parker (1,186,677) a device is disclosed which separates fruit according to its density. In that device, the fruit is dumped into water and carried by the flow of water to a continuous belt which carries the fruit from the water to a discharge point. But there is no attempt to meter out a desired amount of fruit. Furthermore, this device is not effective when the fruit to be separated is of substantially the same density as the remaining fruit.

Other devices are known for removing objects from a liquid bath, or for lining up objects to seat in apertures in rotating discs (Coons 1,445,997, Frova 1,698,476, McCain 2,631,714, Francisco 2,644,569, Warren 2,733,- 724, Stryker 2,741,379, Grafingholt 2,859,855), but none of these devices is capable of metering a selected number of objects from a group.

It is the object of this invention to overcome the above objections by providing a device which automatically separates selected objects from a group thereof, which is effective notwithstanding the fact that the group of objects is of substantially the same density, which can be adapted to operate continuously in cooperation with, for example, a series of cans on a conveyor belt, and which is simple in both construction and operation.

Summary of the invention Broadly stated, the apparatus for separating at least one selected object from a group thereof comprises a liquid bath into which the group of objects is placed. A movable transporting element is adapted to be moved from a first to a second position, the transporting element having at least one aperture thereon adapted to be submerged when the transporting element is in the first position. Means are included for moving the transporting element from the first to the second position. Means ice are included for circulating the liquid through the aperture when the transporting element is in the first position, the circulation tending to urge the objects into and through the apertures, the apertures being configured to allow a selected object into the aperture to seat thereon. Means are included for holding the seated object from passing through the aperture while the seated object is being urged through the aperture by the circulating liquid. Means are included which are adapted to hold the seated object in the aperture as the transporting element is moved to the second position. Means are included for removing the seated object from the aperture when the transporting element is in the second position.

Brief description of the drawings These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the rotating disc in the device;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the non-rotating disc in the device;

FIG. 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detailed section of the rotating disc and a retaining plate in the device;

FIG. 6 is a detailed sect-ion of the device showing the operation of the rotating brush in removing unseated objects from the rotating disc.

Description of the preferred embodiment In FIGS. 1 and 4, an open-topped tank 10 is partially filled with a liquid 12, such as water. The water 12 acts as a bath for the group of objects 14. These objects can be of varying densities, or each can be of substantially the same density. This would be the case, for example, when a group of whole or half cherries is used.

A flat disc 16 is disposed so that a portion of it is submerged in the water 12. The disc 16 contains a series of apertures 18 adjacent its outer periphery, and is bolted at its center to a shaft 20 of a motor 22 which rotates the disc 16 about its axis. Thus the apertures 18 enter into, pass through, and exit from the water 12.

Tank 10 has a first pipe 24 extending therefrom and communicating with the water 12 adjacent the submerged apertures 18, and a second pipe 26 extending therefrom and communicating with the inside of the tank 10 above the level of the water 12 within, as shown in FIG. 4. A water pump 28 is positioned intermediate the pipes 24 and 26, and thus operation of the pump 28 will circulate water through the tank 10, pipe 24, pump 28, and pipe 26. The pipe 24 is positioned so that water 12 will circulate through the apertures 18, with the circulation tending to urge the cherries 14 into the apertures 18. Thus, if each aperture 18 is of proper size, one cherry 14 will be allowed to enter therein.

A non-rotatable disc 30 is held coaxial with the rotatable disc 16, and is held substantially flush against the face of the rotatable disc 16 from which the circulating water exits. The non-rotatable disc 30 has a chamber 32 formed at its submerged portion which communicates with the pipe 24, and has a series of narrow ribs 34 formed sufficiently narrow to allow the circulating water 12 to flow through the apertures 18, into the chamber 32, and through the pipe 24. However, the narrow ribs 34 are positioned to cooperate with the apertures 18 to limit the movement of the cherries 14 through the apertures 18 and seat the cherries 14 therein, while still allowing the flow described. The non-rotatable disc 30 has an intermediate portion 36 which is substantially fiat to hold the cherries 14 in the apertures 18 while the disc 16 is being rotated and the cherries 14 are being carried from the water 12, the discs 16 and 30 :being tilted at an angle of appr ximatelyAS so that each cherry 14 tends to remain seated under its own weight.

The non-rotatable disc 30 also includes a gap 38 which is designed to cease holding the cherries 14 in the apertures 18 in the rotating disc 16 when the cherries 14 are removed from the water 12. An air nozzle 40 is adapted to blow the cherries 14 out of the apertures 18 and through the gap 38. The number of cherries 14 removed by the blast of air can thus be varied by the spacing of the apertures 18.

V A rubber brush 42 capable of being rotated by a motor 44 is positioned to remove cherries 14 which are not fully seated from the rotating disc 16 before the unseated cherries 14 exit from the water 12 (FIG. 6). That is, if any cherries 14 are doubled up, the brush will remove the top cherry 14 and insure that the chosen number of cherries 14, as determined by the number of apertures 18, are transported from the water 12.

A retaining plate 46 (FIGS. 4 and 5) is positioned on the side of the rotating disc 16 opposite the fixed disc and is partially submerged. Since water 12 held in the apertures 18 will tend to spill out of them as they exit from the water 12, urging the cherries from the apertures 18, this retaining plate 46 acts to keep the cherries 14 in the apertures 18 as they are removed from the water 12.

In the operation of the device, a group of cherries 14, or the like, are dumped into the water 12, and the motors 22 and 44 and pump 28 are started, the circulating of the water 12, as described above, seating a cherry 14 in each aperture 18.

It is insured that each aperture 18 has a cherry 14 seated therein by the fact that the seating of a cherry 14 in an aperture 18 increases the flow through the other apertures 18, resulting in increased urging of the cherries 14 into the unfilled apertures 18. The sealing of a second cherry 14 in an aperture 18 likewise increases the flow through the remaining unfilled apertures 18, and so forth.

Rotatable disc 16, turned slowly by the motor 22, will carry the cherries out of the water 12. Ribs 34 retain the cherries 14 in the apertures 18 as the disc 16 is rotated, as does the intermediate portion 36 of non-rotatable disc 30. The rotating brush 42 removes doubled-up cherries, and the retaining plate 46 insures that the cherries 14 are not pushed out of the apertures by spilled-out water, as described above.

The cherries 14 will be blown through the gap 38 by the air nozzle through tube 48. This tube 48 is designed to guide the cherries 14 into, for example, a can 50 on a conveyor belt 52. The rotatable disc 16 can advantageously include teeth 54 about its outer periphery which are adapted to cooperate with a switch S6 to control the movement of the conveyor belt 52 to insure that a can 50 isin proper position to receive the cherries 14 when they are removed from the rotatable disc and pass through the tube 48. Itwill be seen that in the preferred embodiment,

if the conveyor belt 52 is adapted to present another can 50 to the outlet tube 48 each time the switch 56 is tripped by a tooth 54, six apertures 18 (each containing a cherry 14) will be presented to each can 50, and thus six cherries 14 will be deposited in each can 50. Thus the apparatus is particularly adapted to deposit the required number of cherries 14 into a can 50 partially filled with other fruit. It is clear that the thickness of the rotatable disc 16 can be varied according to the dimensions of the objects used, it being advantageous, if half cherries are used, to use a disc of one-half the thickness it would be if whole cherries were used. This would be proper since the half cherries would tend to flatten out and seat themselves in the apertures in a flattened condition.

Applicant has thus disclosed a device which automatically separates selected objects from a group thereof, which is effective even with a group of substantially similar objects which can be adapted to work automatically in conjunction with a conveyor line, and which is simple in both construction and operation.

Obviously, the principle of this invention is applicable in a variety of ways, and I therefore do not desire to be limited by the embodiments shown and described, but rather only by the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Apparatus for separating at least one selected object from a group thereof comprising:

(a) a liquid bath into which the group of objects is placed;

(b) a movabletransporting element adapted to be moved from a first to asecond position, the transporting element having at least one aperture therein adapted to be submerged when the transporting ele ment is in the first position;

(c) means for moving the transporting element from said first to said second position;

(d) means for circulating the liquid through the aperture when the transporting element is in the first portion, said circulation tending to urge the objects into and through the aperture, the aperture being configured to allow a selected object into the aperture to seat therein;

(e) means for holding the seated object from passing through the aperture while the seated object is being urged through the aperture by the circulating liquid;

(f) means adapted to hold the seated object in the aperture as the transporting element is moved to the second position; and

(g) means for removing the seated object from the aperture when the transporting element is in the second position.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein are included a plurality of apertures which are submerged when the transporting element is in the first position and which are removed from the bath when the transporting element is in the second position.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein are included means for removing objects not seated from the transporting element before the transporting element reaches the second position.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the group of objects is substantially uniform and each aperture is formed to receive and seat an object therein.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for holding the seated objects from passing through the apertures while the seated objects are being urged through the apertures by the circulating liquid comprises a series of narrow ribs held adjacent the apertures on the side of the transporting element from which the circulating liquid flows, each rib being positioned to cooperate with at least one aperture to limit the movement of the object through the aperture, each rib being sufficiently narrow relative to the apertures to allow liquid to flow through the aperture and past the rib.

6. Apparatus for separating a selected number of substantially uniform objects from a group thereof comprising:

(a) a liquid bath into which the group is placed;

(b) a rotatable disc adapted to be rotated about its axis and having a plurality of apertures disposed adjacent its periphery, the rotatable disc being positioned relative to the liquid bath so that the apertures enter into, pass through, and exit from the liquid as the disc rotates;

(c) means for rotating the disc;

(d) means for circulating the liquid through the apertures passing through the liquid to urge the objects into the apertures, each aperture being formed to receive one object therein;

(e) a non-rotatable disc held coaxial with the rotatable disc and held substantially fiush against the face of the rotatable disc from which the circulating liquid exits, the non-rotatable disc (i) having a series of narrow ribs positioned to cooperate with the apertures to limit the movement of the objects through the apertures to seat the objects therein, the ribs being sufficiently narrow relative to the cooperating apertures to allow the liquid to flow through the apertures and past the ribs;

(ii) being adapted to hold the objects in the apertures as the rotatable disc rotates, whereby the seated objects are removed from the bath; and

(iii) including a gap designed to cease holding a selected number of the objects being held in the apertures in the rotating disc when the objects are removed from the liquid bath; and

(f) means for urging the selected objects from the apertures through the gap, thereby removing the selected number of objects from the group.

7. Apparatus according to claim '6 wherein is included a rotating brush positioned to remove objects not seated from the rotating disc before the unseated objects exit from the liquid, and wherein the rotating disc is disposed so that the weight of each object aids in its seating.

8. Apparatus for separating a selected number of substantially uniform objects from a group thereof comprising:

(a) a liquid bath into which the group of objects is placed;

(b) a movable transporting element adapted to be moved from a first to a second position, the transporting element having a plurality of apertures disposed therein adapted to be submerged when the transporting element is in the first position;

(0) means for moving the transporting element from said first to said second position;

(d) means for circulating the liquid through the submerged apertures when the transporting element is in the first position, said circulation tending to urge the objects into and through the apertures, each aperture being configured to receive one object therein;

(e) means for holding the seated objects from passing through the apertures while the seated objects are being urged through the apertures by the circulating liquid; and

(f) plate means fixed relative to the apparatus and adapted to hold the seated objects in the apertures as the transporting element is moved to the second position and release the seated objects when the transporting element is in the second position.

9. Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein are further included conveyor means disposed adjacent the released objects, a plurality of receiving means on the conveyor means for receiving the released objects, and switch means adapted to cooperate with the transporting means for controlling the movement of the conveyor means and receiving means thereon.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,331,235 2/1920 Bristow 221-211 2,515,594 7/1950 Fischman 221-265 X 2,667,961 2/1954 Reese et a1 22l265 X 2,801,025 7/1957 Cookson et al. 221-265 X SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner. 

